Mafia Desire (Erotica)

Gabriella turned off the TV before she heard any more bile. The two mothers looked at each other and knew immediately who their protector was. Miriam sat quietly at her mother’s side with a sweet smile on her face. The Khaleel girls looked questioningly at their mother who just smiled and settled more comfortably in the chair, snuggling deeper into the warm white knit sweater. Gabriella looked a little conflicted… and envious.

***********

The funeral home was very busy. The viewings for three of the men were being held in the available chambers. Across town other funeral homes were dealing with the other families. The viewings were for family and friends only. Daniel Wallace and Devon King were given open caskets but this was impossible for Ashraf Khaleel. This upset his parents but there was nothing that could be done. They spoke briefly with the girls then left, ignoring their son’s wife completely. They’d never approved of their son’s choice.

Catherine and her three daughters were sitting on chairs along one wall doing their best not to cry but Megan was having the hardest time of the young women. Her mother was holding her hand and greeting those who came in to express their condolences. There weren’t too many people willing to run the gauntlet of press outside.

She looked up when Ben walked into the room. He was such a big man and the sharp blue black suit he was wearing made him look even more massive. The black shirt and tie were very classy but it looked like he’d given his hair a little trim himself and had made a bit of a mess. He was staring at the casket and she could see his shoulders relax when he saw it was closed. He looked over at the family and she saw the compassion on his face when he saw Megan’s tears. His eyes moved to hers and he smiled with a little nod. He approached them and shook each of their hands telling them he was sorry for their loss. Megan hadn’t looked up yet. When he reached Catherine she had to ask.

“Mr. Shepherd, I can’t help but notice you had a little mishap with some hair shears.” She pitched her voice just loud enough to be heard by the immediate group. She also kept watch on Megan who was their household stylist. As she expected Megan’s eyes snapped up to his head. She was surprised when her youngest snorted explosively at the sight of his butchered hair. Everyone smiled at her reaction including Ben.

“What? I thought I did a good job!” he said with a puzzled smile.

Megan lost it. Clutching her tissues over her mouth to stifle the laughter she leapt from the chair and rushed from the room. Her sisters went after her trying to hide their own smiles.

“Thank you.” Catherine said quietly.

“For giving myself a terrible haircut? Pfft!” Ben scoffed.

“No, for protecting my family.” she said seriously.

“That’s what good neighbors do.” he said gruffly with a small shrug. “How are you holding up?” Ben changed the subject.

She looked over at the casket and sighed. She wondered why she wasn’t more emotional. Her tears tonight were really only in sympathy for her daughters for their having lost their father. While her girls were all grown up, the youngest being 18, the loss of a parent is never an easy thing to deal with. Even one as unaffectionate as Ashraf had been.

Rochelle King sounded absolutely devastated by losing Devon. She could hear the woman crying at the end of the hall. For herself she just felt a little sad. She’d come to the realization years ago that while Ashraf loved her he would never love her as much as he loved himself. The time of that epiphany had been a rough time in their relationship. She stayed in the marriage because of the girls but from then on it hadn’t been the same between her and her husband. Now the play acting was done. She no longer had to pretend. Her girls were grown and she had her future in front of her.

“I’ll be ok.” she said with a smile which he returned. He patted her hand and stepped aside as the girls returned. Megan kept her eyes away from his ridiculous haircut. She suddenly reached out and snagged his jacket.

“Tomorrow, you come by the house around noon and I’ll fix… that.” She stifled another burst of giggles.

“Yes, maam.” he replied seriously and she shooed him away still without looking at him.

With a final nod Ben moved down the hall and stepped into the next room. The sight of Daniel’s body in the open casket right next to the door hit him like a tonne of bricks. Images of his dead parents lying in their caskets flashed across his mind and he felt his chest tightening. He looked away sharply and saw Gabriella looking at him with concern. He stumbled away from the casket and the next thing he knew he was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands.NôvelDrama.Org © content.

“Breathe! Deep and slow.” Gabriella’s voice was starting to register over the roar in his ears and he felt her rubbing his back. Miriam was on her right and Daniel, Jr. was on her left.

“What happened to him, mom?” her son asked.

Catherine heard the huge thump and saw a picture rattle on the wall as if something had hit the other side. She rushed to investigate and saw her friend appearing to console Ben.

“What happened?” she asked.

Ben finally felt the roaring go quiet and leaned back in the chair. He kept his eyes averted from the casket and found himself looking into the curious face of the boy. He blushed with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be here making a scene.” He struggled to stand but Gabriella had leverage and pushed him back into the chair.

“Ben, you almost passed out. You are in no condition to leave. Just sit and rest for a bit.” she chastised him.

“Why did you fall down Mr. Shepherd?” the boy asked.

Ben looked over at him again. “I was surprised by the casket being so close to the door. I didn’t have time to prepare.” He put his head in his hands again and took some deep breaths.

Catherine stood next to Gabriella and asked quietly once more, “What happened?”

“Ben stepped in the room and froze when he saw Daniel. He looked like he was going to pass out and stumbled across the room to land in that chair.” she told her friend in a whisper.

Rochelle appeared in the doorway holding a tissue to her nose. Her eyes were red from crying and rimmed with tears but they held curiosity in them as well. “Is Mr. Shepherd alright?” she asked.

Ben surged to his feet. He felt terribly ashamed for having disturbed these women in their time of mourning. His cheeks pinked with his embarrassment. Still a little light headed he closed his eyes and staggered once as hands automatically braced him. “Please, I don’t mean to be a distraction. I’m truly sorry for your loss. I’ll get out of your way.” He opened his eyes and saw Gabriella and Catherine had their hands on his chest, Rochelle had his left arm and Daniel, Jr. his right.

He ducked his head and tried to move but they all just pushed and pulled him gently back into the chair. Rochelle immediately sat down to his left as she continued to hold his arm. She looked up at the other two women and smirked.